Upfront with the Archbishop

“A great river of poverty is traversing our cities." Join Archbishop Smith as he talks about why Pope Francis instituted the annual World Day of the Poor, the (strange) Book of Tobit that Pope Francis wants us to reflect upon for this year’s World Day of the Poor, and what it means when Catholic social teaching talks about the “preferential option for the poor.” Links: Pope Francis letter for...

How does smudging and Indigenous culture integrate with the Mass? Join Archbishop Smith and Fr. Cristino Bouvette from the Diocese of Calgary as they discuss cultural appropriation and integration in the Mass, how much human culture is supposed to be seen in any liturgy, the Indigenous ritual of smudging, paganism vs. Christianity, the virtue of patriotism and much more. Fr. Cristino Bouvette is a...

Join Archbishop Smith and Catholic school teacher Brett Fawcett (Elk Island Catholic School District, Chesterton Academy) for a discussion around defending our Catholic school system, what would be the repercussions if Alberta got rid of its publicly-funded Catholic school system, the vital role of teachers in proclaiming the Gospel, the role of parents as primary educators and much more. Show Not...

Today, Archbishop Smith directly answers questions from YOU, our listeners! We talk about low Synod participation rates, whether or not the Archdiocese will restore the original order of the Sacraments of Initiation, whether all monotheistic religions worship the same God and whether preaching the Gospel with your actions is enough. Watch us on YouTube here ! Subscribe to our email list: Upfront U...

Join Justice Kevin Feehan (Alberta Court of Appeal) and Archbishop Smith as they discuss whether human rights are man-made or God-given, collective versus individual rights, the history of religious freedom in Canada, the experience of being a Catholic judge in the Canadian judicial system and the difference between American and Canadian approaches to the Church-State relationship.    Links The Al...

Join Archbishop Smith as he directly addresses the concerns that many parishioners have brought up about the Synod, skepticism about the intentions of Pope Francis, the history of Synodality, the media's interpretation of the Synod and his personal experience as a delegate for the 2015 Synod on the Family. Archbishop Smith is also joined by Dr. Eugenia Pagnotta-Kowalzyck to discuss the key co...

Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion about moments in the Gospels where Jesus is asked a question and he gives an "evasive" answer, such as his conversation with Pontius Pilate or his pattern of using parables to explain different truths. We also explore when and if Christian leaders should follow the example of Jesus by giving indirect answers to hard questions. Watch us on YouTube he...

Should we desire to die as martyrs? Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion about martyrdom, the portrayal of martyrdom in the Martin Scorsese film "Silence," the saints who died for Canadian Catholic Church, the moral dilemmas that come with facing death and religious persecution, the idea of "white martyrdom," and much more. Watch us on YouTube here ! Subscribe to our email li...

Join Archbishop Richard Smith for a discussion about what the Catholic Church teaches about being the “one, true religion,” Christian dialogue, the idea of praying that all Christians would be “one,” and how religion stands in a pluralistic society. Watch us on YouTube here ! Subscribe to our email list: Upfront Updates Upfront with the Archbishop is a weekly podcast where our goal is to strengthe...

What does the Archbishop think of The Chosen? Join Archbishop Smith and our host Jenny for a conversation about Archbishop Smith’s first time watching Season 1 of the crowd-funded series, The Chosen, which depicts the life of Christ through intimate portrayals of his disciples and their families. Click here to watch this episode on YouTube! Links: The Chosen Series Watch us on YouTube here ! Subsc...

Click here to subscribe to the Upfront with the Archbishop YouTube Channel! Join Archbishop Smith for a conversation about consumerism, finding our identity in comfort, the ideology of materialism and how to approach our relationship with the material world as followers of Jesus.  Watch us on YouTube here ! Subscribe to our email list: Upfront Updates Upfront with the Archbishop is a weekly podcas...

Why do followers of Jesus need a sense of wonder? Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion about “fear of the Lord,” the often misunderstood gift of the Holy Spirit that we receive with the Sacrament of Confirmation. Watch us on YouTube here ! Subscribe to our email list: Upfront Updates Upfront with the Archbishop is a weekly podcast where our goal is to strengthen the relationship between the hier...

What was it like to get a Ph. D., while also being a parish priest? This week our host Jenny has a fun conversation with Archbishop Smith about everything to do with his experience of doctoral studies (in Rome!): the topic of his dissertation, the stress of doing a Ph. D., his advice for young adults pursuing graduate and doctoral studies, and how to stay connected to your heart, while immersed in...

What is the Divine Office? If we are in a cultural “crisis of trust” how can this ancient prayer restore our faith? Today we speak with Archbishop Smith about the Divine Office or the Liturgy of the Hours: what it is, the daily commitment of priests across the world to pray this ancient prayer of the Church, how praying the psalms can restore our distrusting hearts, and the call to the laity to br...

How do you keep your marriage from suffering when you work for the Church?  Join Archbishop Smith and Deacon Lynn Pion for a conversation about the permanent diaconate, marriage, the experience of presiding over your own child’s wedding, the experience of coming to a vocation later in life, and the need for unity in the Church. Links: The Form of a Servant - Permanent Diaconate Documentary Permane...

Join Archbishop Smith live from Faro, Portugal, to hear all about the chaos, adventure, jetlag, and the joy of Catholicism to be found at World Youth Day. Over 220 young adults from the Archdiocese of Edmonton are joining hundreds of thousands of pilgrims for World Youth Day 2023. A group of pilgrims from the Edmonton Archdiocese have been in Faro, Portugal Days in the Diocese, the preamble event...

Did local communities disagree about whether it was a good thing that the Pope was coming to Canada? How has the Pope’s visit brought people closer to Jesus? What was it like for local communities to have security details that are as extreme as the security for the President of the United States? Anne Wildcat was one of the main, local Indigenous leaders to organize the details of Pope Francis’ fi...

Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion about his grandparents, the art of storytelling across generations, the troubling societal trend of neglecting our elders, how older Bishops have mentored him, the connection between World Youth Day and strengthening the relationship between different generations of Catholics and much more. Links: Pope Francis's Message for the World Day for Grandparents...

How can we have more reverent liturgies in our Archdiocese?  What is liturgy meant to look like, according to the Second Vatican Council?  Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion on how St. Joseph’s Basilica is seeking to be a leader in beautiful liturgy that accurately follows the rubrics of the Church. We talk about what Sacrosanctum Concilium outlines for the Mass and three elements of beautiful...

How does the break down of marriage connect to our lack of priests? Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion on the vocations crisis in Canada, the state of marriage, stories about how his parents' marriage inspected his vocation to priesthood, and an electric live Q&A covering the Church's response to Covid-19 vaccines, transgender ideology in Catholic schools, the theology of sin and...

What does it mean to offer up your suffering to God? In this week's episode Archbishop Smith takes a look at using our physical suffering, chronic pain, and mental anxiety as ways that we can be united more closely to Jesus Christ and His cross. How does it work? Can if be taken to an extreme? What do the saints have to say? All these questions and more in today's episode! Watch us on Yo...

Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion on how leisure is an essential part of being a Christian, the difference between laziness and rest, the sinister results of placing our identity in our productivity, how to remember to pray even when we take vacations, and Archbishop Smith's own relationship with work and rest. Watch us on YouTube here ! Subscribe to our email list: Upfront Updates Upfro...

Join Archbishop Smith for this special episode as we discuss his father Donald James, and how his father accompanied him as a young man, the unique nature of friendships between priests and married men,  the "ministry of presence" that all fathers are called, why we call priests "father," the meaning of the Aramaic word "Abba." Watch us on YouTube here ! Subscribe to...

When was the last time you sat with the Lord in adoration?  Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion on the meaning behind the different parts of Eucharistic adoration, the role of contemplation for followers of Jesus, why we sing “O saving victim” in adoration, and the return of 24/7 Eucharistic adoration to the Archdiocese of Edmonton.  Links: Chapel of Perpetual Adoration Subscribe to our email l...

How do we know if we are in mortal sin?  What happens if we receive Our Lord in the Eucharist, when we are not in a state of grace?  Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion on defining mortal sin, the criteria for identifying whether or not we are in a state of grace, the question of culpability and mortal sins, the false idea of moral “proportionalism” and what happens when we “play games” with ou...